Term one began with over 300 educators from MPF schools attending a professional learning day to upskill in Classroom Mastery. Developed by Dr Tim McDonald and delivered by Knowledge Society, a social purpose organisation that works with education systems to design and deliver school improvement programs, Classroom Mastery delivers immediate results.
Knowledge Society works with school leadership teams and their staff to give teachers the skills, tools and confidence to establish consistent Classroom Mastery routines across all classrooms. The result is classrooms where students are calm, engaged and focused and teaching and learning is optimised.
Most of the schools MPF works with have undertaken the training and coaching over the last two years. The changes are immediate, with classrooms going from noisy and disrupted to quiet and focused. The first routines to be introduced are entry, exit and cue to start. The uptake from both staff and students has been enthusiastic and committed. The few who are resistant to the change soon see the benefits and come on board.
Coaching is an integral part of the change – staff are supported to ensure the implementation is done with fidelity and is maintained over time. With these conditions established, further changes, including structured literacy, diagnostic assessments and direct instruction can be smoothly implemented.